T-Mobile chief executive John Legere doesn't seem too happy over rumors that Amazon has struck an exclusivity deal with AT&T for the firm's forthcoming smartphone, and took to Twitter to make his sentiments known.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that carrier AT&T held an exclusive deal for Amazon's anticipated smartphone in the United States, expected to be unveiled at a press event in Seattle on Wednesday.

As a late entrant into a market already dominated by tech giants including Apple and Samsung, it is rumored that Amazon's mobile will stand out from the crowd through retina-tracking 3D technology and advances in gesture control and navigation. The smartphone is believed to be due for shipment by late August.

AT&T once held a three-year exclusivity contract for the original iPhone, and the company — which already provides the wireless access necessary for Amazon's Kindle range and e-readers — could potentially attract additional subscribers if the rumored handset proves popular enough with US consumers.

However, Legere is of a different mind, and took to Twitter, using the ghost of the Facebook phone to illustrate his opinion. The HTC First was a failed model which was also exclusively offered by the US carrier, and hosted a tailored operating system designed to showcase Facebook. However, the smartphone failed to sell — to the point where AT&T offered the gadget for 99 cents on contract.

The executive also took a swing at Amazon for being part of an exclusivity deal in the first place, stating that such practices "suck for customers." However, as Business Insider points out, T-Mobile is also guilty of this apparent sin — by taking on exclusives of its own, including the Sony Xperia Z1.

AT&T and Amazon are larger companies than T-Mobile, despite the carrier's attempts to expand through its "Uncarrier" phone deals, and the alleged exclusivity partnership obviously doesn't impress the T-Mobile executive. However, unless Amazon's rumored handset is something truly special, it is unlikely that US consumers will ditch their contracts to get their hands on one — so Legere probably has little to worry about. Either that, or perhaps sour grapes over the exclusive deal have played a part in the CEO's ranting.

Thank You

By registering you become a member of the CBS Interactive family of sites and you have read and agree to the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Video Services Policy. You agree to receive updates, alerts and promotions from CBS and that CBS may share information about you with our marketing partners so that they may contact you by email or otherwise about their products or services.
You will also receive a complimentary subscription to the ZDNet's Tech Update Today and ZDNet Announcement newsletters. You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time.